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Ryan Johansen Receives Team Canada Invite

In news that will not surprise anyone, Ryan Johansen was invited to Team Canada’s summer World Junior Championships team development camp.

The 18 year old center, the Jacket’s 2010 first round draft pick (the 4th overall selection) was a force for Team Canada in 2010, but the real question is if he’ll be available for the actual tournament. Should Johansen make the Blue Jackets this season, it’s doubtful the team would release him for the final selection camp in December, much less the WJC tournament squad. The move is as much hedging the bets by the Team Canada staff as anything – should he be returned to Portland, he’ll be on their roster and ready to play.

Overall, it doesn’t mean much, and I’m sure it’s a secondary goal to Johansen’s desire to make the NHL out of camp this season, but it’s a nice honor, and recognizes his continued development.

The summer development camp runs from August 3-7, which will is also likely to help keep The Johan in game shape before he reports into training camp in September.